Golan Heights -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Israeli troops fired on protesters trying to cross the fortified border between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights on Sunday , with Syrian authorities reporting more than a dozen dead and hundreds wounded .

The protests came on the anniversary of the 1967 Middle East War , when Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria . The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately confirm any casualties , though a spokeswoman said that Israeli troops used tear gas and live ammunition on members of an `` angered mob . ''

`` We warned them verbally -LRB- and -RRB- with warning shots into the air , '' Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich told CNN . `` And when these two options failed , we had to open fire selectively into the area , and this actually stopped those Syrians from reaching the Israeli-Syrian fence . ''

The Syrian state news agency said 23 people were killed and more than 350 wounded in the protests , which continued past nightfall . Medics could be seen carrying the wounded to vehicles and driving them away from the border .

A spokesman for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the violence and urged restraint .

`` The events of today and of 15 May on the Golan put the long-held cease-fire in jeopardy . The Secretary-General calls for maximum restraint on all sides and strict observance of international humanitarian law to ensure protection of civilians , '' he said .

As many as 500 people took part in the demonstration , holding mid-day prayers on the Syrian side of the border , then crouching down behind ramparts that Israel constructed in response to similar demonstrations three weeks ago . The number later dropped to about 50 , with protesters waving Palestinian and Syrian flags .

Clashes also broke out between Palestinians and Israelis at the Qalandia crossing between Jerusalem and Ramallah in the West Bank on Sunday . At least six Palestinians were injured there , one seriously , by rubber bullets . Israeli forces also fired tear gas , while Palestinians threw stones .

The clashes come three weeks after similar demonstrations marking the 1948 birth of the Jewish state -- a day of mourning for Palestinians , more than 700,000 of whom were displaced from their homes during the fighting that followed . Those protests left at least 12 dead .

Leibovich accused Syria of trying to use the protests to create a diversion `` from the bloodshed that is taking place inside Syria , '' where the United Nations says a crackdown against anti-government protests has left more than 1,000 dead .

`` There is no question about it , '' she said . `` The policemen , the armed Syrian forces are looking back and not doing anything . ''

Demonstrators arrived in at least eight buses before the protest began , then came down from a hill known locally as `` Shouting Hill '' -- where people shout to family and friends on the other side of the border -- toward the ramparts Israeli forces constructed last month .

Leibovich said Israeli troops were better prepared to deal with the demonstrations than with the May 15 protests , beefing up forces along the frontier and making clear `` that we would not tolerate any infiltration into the Israeli side . ''

CNN 's Mike Schwartz , Kevin Flower and Kareem Khadder contributed to this report .

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A U.N. spokesman condemns the violence and calls for restraint

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Syria says 23 people were killed and 350-plus wounded

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Israel says it faced an `` angered mob '' across the Syrian border

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At least six Palestinians were injured in a separate protest in the West Bank